May the Holy One who blessed our ancestors, AbrahamAbraham is the first patriarch and the father of the Jewish people. He is the husband of Sarah and the father of Isaac and Ishmael. God's covenant - that we will be a great people and inherit the land of Israel - begins with Abraham and is marked by his circumcision, the first in Jewish history. His Hebrew name is Avraham., IsaacAbraham and Sarah's much-longed-for son and the second Jewish patriarch. Isaac is nearly sacrificed by his father at God's command (Genesis 22). He is married to Rebecca and is the father of Esau and Jacob. His Hebrew name is Yitzchak. and JacobLit. heel Jacob is the third patriarch, son of Isaac and Rebecca, and father to the twelve tribes of Israel. More than any of the other patriarchs, Jacob wrestles with God and evolves from a deceitful, deal-making young man to a mature, faithful partner to God. His Hebrew name is Yaakov., SarahThe first matriarch, wife of Abraham, and mother of Isaac, whom she birthed at the age of 90. Sarah, in Rabbinic tradition, is considered holy, beautiful, and hospitable. Many prayers, particularly the Amidah (the central silent prayer), refer to God as Magen Avraham – protector of Abraham. Many Jews now add: pokehd or ezrat Sarah – guardian or helper of Sarah., RebeccaThe second Jewish matriarch, Isaac's wife, and mother to Jacob and Esau. Rebecca is an active parent, talking to God when she is pregnant and learning the fate of her children, then ultimately manipulating Isaac and the children to ensure Jacob's ascendancy. Her Hebrew name is Rivka., RachelLavan's younger daughter and Jacob's beloved wife second wife (after he is initially tricked into marrying her older sister, Leah). Rachel grieves throughout her life that she is barren while Leah is so fertile. Ultimately, Rachel gives birth to Joseph and dies in childbirth with Benjamin. Rachel is remembered as compassionate (she is said to still weep for her children), and infertile women often invoke Rachel as a kind of intercessor and visit her tomb on the road to Bethlehem. and LeahThe third of the Jewish matriarchs, Lead is the eldest of Lavan's daughters and one of the wives of Jacob. She is the daughter whom Lavan tricks Jacob into marrying instead of his younger daughter Rachel, whom Jacob has requested to marry. Leah is mother to six of the the twelve tribes and to one daughter, Dinah., bless you today, _________________ in honor of God, in honor of TorahThe Five Books of Moses, and the foundation of all of Jewish life and lore. The Torah is considered the heart and soul of the Jewish people, and study of the Torah is a high mitzvah. The Torah itself a scroll that is hand lettered on parchment, elaborately dressed and decorated, and stored in a decorative ark. It is chanted aloud on Mondays, Thursdays, and Shabbat, according to a yearly cycle. Sometimes "Torah" is used as a colloquial term for Jewish learning and narrative in general., in honor of community, and in honor of leading your child/ren on a path of Torah. May you continue to speak Torah with them, when you are at home and when you are away. May the teachings you provide her/him deepen in ahava, rachamim, chesed, v’shalom. May you be blessed with the wisdom to know your child not only as student but also as teacher, allowing him/her to change and guide you, as you have guided her/him.
Baruch sheh’p’tarchem mei’onsho shel zeh.*
Blessed is the One who grants growing independence to your child.
Blessed is the One who makes space for the growth of another.
Baruch atah Adonai eloheinu melech ha’olam, shehechiyanu, v’kiyamanu, v’higiyanu, lazman ha’zeh.
*Constructing the right brachaA blessing:
Select the first half of the bracha based on who is receiving the bracha (e.g. one mother, two dads, a grandmother and a father, etc.) and the second half of the bracha based on who is being celebrated as bar/bat/b’nei/b’not mitzvahLit. Commandment. It is traditionally held that there are 613 mitzvot (plural) in Judaism, both postive commandments (mandating actions) and negative commandments (prohibiting actions). Mitzvah has also become colloquially assumed to mean the idea of a “good deed." (e.g. one girl, two boys, etc.)
First Half
Baruch sheh’p’tarchem (mixed gender or men)
Baruch sheh’p’tarchen (more than one woman)
Baruch sheh’p’tarcha (one man)
Baruch she’p’tareich (one woman)
Second Half
mei’onsho shel zeh (one boy)
mei’onsha shel zo (one girl)
mei’onsham shelahem (mixed gender or boys)
mei’onshan shelahen (girls)
